Thread-stand.



J. MAITLAND.

THREAD STAND.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1911.

LQGO, 1 98 Patented Apr. 29,1913.

' I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. MAITLAND.

THREAD STAND. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1911.

1,060, 1 98B PatentedApnZQ, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JOHN MAITLAND, OF SWAMPSGOTT, MASSACHUSETTS. I i

THREAp-STAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

. Application filed September 12, 1911. Serial No. 648,907.

rality of needles, for holding the spools of thread to supply the needles. Wlth such machines as buttonhole machines, where two needles and a looper are employed, and with other types of machines employing even more than that number of needles in simultaneous action, it is necessary to provide some means for holding a supply of thread for each spindle. Accordingly my invention relates to stands for holding the thread supply of suchfmachines, and the improvements in such stands.

Another aspect of the invention relates to the devices or means forming a subsidiary part of the thread stand as a whole, by which 'the individual quantities or supplies of thread are supported and held ready for thread to be drawn therefrom.

A prime object of that improvement in the holding device is to enable tubes or quills upon which thread is wound to be applied to and used with the stand instead of\ the usual wooden spools most generally in use at the present time. That is to say, onel of the objects of m invention has been to enable an'increase use of thread wound upon tubes instead of spools to be made in factories equipped with power sewing machines.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 "represents. an elevation of one form of my improved thread stand adapted primarily to be used with a buttonhole sewing machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a holdin element or device forming a part of the't read stand "adapted to support'and retain the tube on -which thread is wound, the tube and windas it is called, a qui 4 of another form of thread-holder desrgngd ing of thread being shown in section. Fi 3 1s a similar view showing a slightly modlfied form of such holding device. Fig. 4 is another modified form of tube-holder adapt ed to be used to support a comcal tube, or,- Fig. 5 is an elevationv for sewing machines other than-those for finishing buttonholes, and includinga plug.

rality of needles. Fig. 6 is a sectional lan view on line 66 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 1s a fragmentary sectional View and front elevation of one of the thread-holding devices shown in Fig. 5.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures. The thread stand is adapted to be mounted upon a bench or any other supporting surface on which the sewing machine is mounted, and

to be placed in such proximity and otherwlse in such relation to the machine that the thread from the various individual holders may be led in'the most convenient manner to the needles which such thread supplies are respectively. adapted to feed. The stand shown inrFig. 1 consists of two uprights, 1

and 2, across piece 3, and bases 4 and 5. Conveniently the uprights and cross piece may be made integral from a single rod or wire bent into the form of an inverted U. The opposite ends of such rod or wire constitute the foot portions of the respective uprights which are set into the bases and secured therein by suitable means, as set screws 6. The bases are preferably screwed or otherwise secured to the table or bench indicated at 7 which supports the stand and the sewing machine. I

The stand shown in Fig. 1, is designed, as previously mentioned, to feed thread to a vided with three read supplies. One of them, shown at 8,'is a cord which is laid around the edges of the buttonhole as a filling for the finishin thread, another, indicated at 9 provides t e thread for the finishing head on the front of thepie'ce in which the'buttonhole is made, and athird at 10 machine for sewinglbuttonholes and is prosup lies the thread for the finish at the bac ofthe piece. The supplies 8 and 10 are supported on the upright 2 and the threads drawn therefrom are led through eyes 11 and 12 respectively in the opposlte upright 2, and thence to the machine; The third supply is suspended from the cross piece and passes through an eye- 13 which projects laterally from the upright 1. The locations of the thread-holders and eyes are such as to enable the various threads to be held above the bench and to ass in the most (iirect manner possible to te machine, without snarling. q a r I refer to construct the holding devices for t 1e individual threadsupplies of such a character that they may take thread wound upon cylindrical or conical tubes, such as can be c'heapl made of pasteboard or the-j like, instead of on wooden spools, and to that end I have made an improvement in these holders-which constitutes one of the prin- .2. Such holder consists of two arms substantially parallel to one another and resilient so that they may be pressed together, and when released will spring apart. Their outer ends 14 are bent away from one another. Thus When' a tube 15 carrying the supply of thread is placed over the holder to such an extent that the ends 14 protrude from the tube, such ends are caused\ by the resilience of the arms to spring apart and overlie the end of the tube, thus resisting withdrawal of the tube. This resistance is greater than the strength of the thread, so that under ordinary conditions the thread will be drawn from the tube without dislodging the latter from the holder, and if it should become snarled so as not to run smoothly from the tube, will break before dislodging the tube. 1

The arms of the holder 14 maybe mount- I ed in any manner suitable to hold them resiliently in approximate parallelism, and at be the necessary .distance apart. Preferably the arms are formed of a single piece ofspringy wire bent double, as shown in Fig. 2, and secured to a block 16 by a clamp screw 17 and washer. The block-is apertured to receive the upright 2 and is ad ust-.

ably secured to the latter'by a set screw 18. In order' to give eater security to the holder 14, the bend in the latteris so placed as to surround the upright 2.

The holder 19 for the thread supply 8is substantially identical with the holder 14,,but differs in detail therefrom only sufiiciently to enable it to hold a tube 20 ofless length I and greater diameter than the tube 15. The

ends 19' of the legs or members forming this holder are bent apart in the manner described. This holder is also formed with a bend. which surrounds theupright and is secured to a block 21 or its equivalent,-but in this particular arrangement the block is formed integrally with the'b'ase .5 l'and consists of an arm projecting therefrom? There is no reason, however, except .convenience of construction, to prevent such arm orblock from being made and applied in'the same manner as the block- 16:

It is to be understood that my-invention is, not limited to the particular manner of attaching the arms which together form the holders 14 and: 19- respectively may be connected in the manner shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 presently to be described, or in any other manner. It would not be a departure from the invention to make the arms as separate pieces and drive or screw their ends into the carrying blocks.

The holder for the thread supply 9 is shown in detail in Fig. 4 and is so made as to support a conical or tapering tube 22, also called a quill, in such a manner that the therefrom and an especially great length must be provided between the supply andthe eye. The same standis also adapted to provide silk thread for'finishing the button hole on the face of. the garment, and to this end I have provided a holder similar to the. holder -.14 adapted to mount a tube wound with silk. The block '16 only 7 for this holderis shown. An eye 25 is formed in the upright 2 through which this thread may drawn. I The stand illustrated in Fig. 5 isdesigned to provide thread for machines using a plurality of needles, but not being necessarily adapted for finishing buttonholes. This stand consists of a single upright 26 rising y from .a base 27 which issecured to the table or bench, andsupporting one or more blocks 28, adjustably mounted on the uprightand secured by set screws 29. Such blocks may have the form of arms projecting on each side of the upright, as shown in the plan view (Fig. 6), Thread tube holders 30 are secured upon theblocks 28, there being one, two or more of such holders on each 1 additionally bent into a plane at right angles tothe plane of the parallel arms, this being done in order that a single c1amp'screw wire bent ockp These holders are formed substantially;j as

may serve to secure both the holder'and an o arm carrying a guiding eye upon the block. 'Such clamp screwis shown at 31 and passes through the U-shaped bend of the holder.

' One or more'washers 32 underlie the head of the screw and bear against the holder.

33 represents an arm from which one end is bent down-and provided withan eye34 v v in front of the thread tube -throu hwhich' 65 to the supporting blocks, 'smce fih y- .the thread i Th other end the rm 13ov alinement with the thread tube, While the arm itself is offset between its ends out of the Way of the tube; -As will be readily understood this form of thread stand can be made to hold thread for sewing machines having any number of needles from one up to the maximum.

I claim A thread holder comprising a block having an aperture adapted to receive a standard, arms formed of a wire bent double arranged on said block with its bend surroundmg the aperture, and a clamping device extending from the block between the 'arms near the aperture and overlying the arms, said arms being adapted to enter a thread tube.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN MAITLAND.

Witnesses: I ARTHUR H. BROWN, 

